Border News Translations: Expired Food, Rollover, Migrant Spankings

TIJUANA BC (Frontera, 5/17/11) -- Protección de los Derechos del Consumidor A.C. (protection of consumer rights) warned the public about the sale of foodstuffs that is outdated, especially in supermarkets and convenience stores. PRODECO has complaints registered since the end of 2010 in their offices from consumers reporting that establishments have sold products past the expiration date, but sellers continue to keep the items on the shelves.

To curb this abuse, PRODECO has begun a campaign called, "Do not get abused, Do not buy Expired." PRODECO invites consumers who have been victims of such practices to return the items and request a refund. The offices are located in Prolongación Paseo de los Héroes, No. 3614, Interior 3-A Tercer Piso, in colonia 20 de Noviembre; 688-0987.

TIJUANA BC (Frontera, Luis Gerardo Andrade, 5/17/11) -- On Sunday night, a rollover injured five people, with one dead. Among the wounded are a newborn and the driver who is the father of the child. According to the municipal police, the accident occurred at colonia Los Venados, de la delegación La Presa. Five people and a baby were in the car, a brown Toyota Camry, when they suffered a spectacular mishap. Municipal officials stated the driver was Abdul Jonathan Huerta Rodríguez, 24, and that he had a strong odor of alcohol on him.

The others injured were Servando Huerta Rodríguez, 18; Ruby Altamirano, 23; Jostin Abdul Huerta Altamirano, 6 months; Gerardo Reyes, 29; and Kevin Reyes, whose age is unknown. According to Red Cross paramedics who were at the scene, the last three were seriously injured and carried to emergency facilities of the Benemérita Institución, and the other three were taken to the Hospital General. Authorities reported that minutes later Gerardo Reyes died due to complications of his injuries.

The newborn who also had wounds continued receiving medical intensive care because his state of health was delicate. The responsible driver is in police custody. When he recovers, he will be submitted to the authorities.

TECATE BC (En Linea Tijuana, 5/16/11) -- Elements of the Mexican army beat six migrants heading to United States at poblado Jacumé, en el municipio de Tecate. A person who observed the events was passing the group and said they were a few meters from the border when they were intercepted by the military. After questioning the reason for their presence, soldiers ordered them to take off the pants and form a line. One of them took a board and beat them, bruising their buttocks. The majority of the victims returned to their place of origin, and others decided to retry the crossing.

The Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Gabriela Navarro Peraza, confirmed that the victims filed a complaint, which will be sent to headquarters. He said that with the evidence of beatings, the military authorities should reply regarding the behavior of its officers. Although he admitted that, in this case, it was apparently the failure of the men, not the institution.

The Commission already requested information from the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional on the identity of the officers patrolling the border at the time and date of the events, said Navarro Peraza. He said that with the irrefutable evidence of the beatings, the NHRC could be even make recommendations. The beatings, which he described as “very wild," imply a violation not only of their rights but of humiliation.

The incident occurred last week in Jacumé, located about 70 km to the East of Tijuana, and according to rights activists it is an area controlled by traffickers. The activist regretted reporting the abuse against migrants, who are most vulnerable in the border area because they are far from their homes and at risk of reprisals and becoming victims.

Navarro Peraza explained that currently the National Human Rights Commission receives an average of two complaints per week of military abuse. He explained the number is lower than what was received in past years and is below the statistics of 2009, but that does not mean there are fewer abuses against the population. It could be that people don’t report because of fear. Military personnel are undergoing constant training courses on human rights. He considers that cases such as the one at Jacumé indicate a possible failure of the human element, not the institution, in this case the Ministry of Defense.